"It's the quiet night that breaks me / like a dozen papercuts that only I can trace"

First, I should probably mention that between switching computers, I not only haven't managed to import my existing mail from the buggy computer but haven't remembered my mail server password. As such, I haven't been able to read new mail for going on a week now. If you've sent something and are waiting an answer, that would be why.

I expect regular mail service to resume in the next few days.

Second, a link salad lightly drizzled with balsamic vinagrette:

• Creative Japanese typography in city and town logos. Even with explanations, I can recognize the kana in only about half of these.
  
  
• "Galaxy viewer, engage ZOOOOOM!" (via)
  
  
• Oh what cute silk spiders! The extremely rare piece of cloth woven from their silk is pretty and important, of course, but really, you want to look at the cuties. (via)
  
  
• This year's rice-paddy art is being noticed around the world. (via)
  
  
• Gay American kids are increasingly coming out in middle school -- grades 6-8, that would be, ages 12-14. (via)
  
  
• The interesting question of the singularity or plurality of the United States.
  
  
• Concerning the relevance of letters to Capricorns.
  
  
• A day in the life of: Typhoon Nangka over Hong Kong harbor. (via)

Third, the relationship in Japanese between handakuten and dakuten* is not helping my continuing quest to avoid, in English, writing b for p and vice versa.

There is no fourth.

Fifth and last, I do believe it's time for a picture of a girl and her ice cream cone.


* Diacritical marks in the kana syllabary that change an h/f sound to p and b, respectively. That dakuten also change k to g, s to z, and t to d is irrelevant to this joke.

---L.